A Pocketful of Grim Peril

An overview of the WFRP Toolkit, an app now available on the iTunes Store

Last week, we announced the release of the WFRP Toolkit, an app that allows players to manage, record, and analyse dice rolls for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Since then, the gaming community’s enthusiasm for this stylish and convenient new app has been notable. But if you still haven’t checked out the WFRP Toolkit, or are curious to learn more about its functionality before you dive in, we’re happy to present this brief overview.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay’s innovative dice system opens up a world of story-telling options, providing far more information and flavour than mere hits and misses. With each roll, players are able to see how the check succeeded or failed. Was he too reckless, or simply unlucky? Perhaps a player succeeded in a task, but at a cost he didn’t anticipate... or perhaps he failed at his overall goal, but still managed some small benefit. With this groundbreaking system, your narrative hooks are limited only by your own imagination.

The WFRP Toolkit for your iPhone and iPod Touch offers this wealth of potential in the palm of your hand. But how does it work, specifically?

Upon starting the app and after viewing the title, you’ll be greeted by a welcome screen that presents a convenient list of the most recent news items from FFG’s website. From here, you can browse the latest updates for your favorite game. If you want more information on any of the articles listed, simply tap one for a quick shortcut to the full posting on our website.

Otherwise, tap the large “start” button to begin using the WFRP Toolkit.

When the main screen appears, you will see two metallic plates (as in the image to the right); the Dice Plate appears at the top of the screen, and the Options Plate appears at the bottom. Between these two metallic plates is the application’s background, the field on which your dice will be rolled.

Simply tap any of the dice on the Dice Plate to add them to your field. By default, the Dice Plate displays characteristic, conservative, reckless, and expertise dice. Don’t see the die you need? Drag the Dice Plate horizontally right or left to display a selection of challenge, fortune, and misfortune dice! Finally, to make the Dice Plate and Options Plate appear or disappear, tap and hold the background. This will remove these extra options, leaving only the gorgeous three-dimensionally rendered dice on a textured leather-like field. Now it’s time for the best part!

Once you’ve selected the dice you need, the real fun begins. Simply shake your iPhone, or iPod touch to “roll” your dice. A realistic sound effect will accompany the jostling and randomization of whichever dice you’ve selected, recreating the tactile joy of tossing a fistful of dice!

Want to reroll certain dice while leaving others on their current rolls? No problem. Once a dice pool has been created, you can tap any die to select it. When you select a die, the other dice fade out to indicate that they are not part of your current selection (tap any of these faded dice to add them to your current selection). Now when you shake your device, only the dice you have selected will roll. Additionally, you can remove selected dice by tapping the large X in the lower left corner of the screen, or invert your selection with the button in the bottom center.

From this main screen, a number of convenient tips and summaries are available. Should you need a refresher on the name or purpose of a certain die, simply double tap that die to open the Rules Tooltip, a screen that briefly summarizes its rules. You can also single tap the background with two fingers to display the Results Summary screen (pictured at the right), where you’ll get a quick glance of your results and the ability to save them!

Finally, by tapping the Scroll Button at the right side of the Options Plate, you’ll bring up the Application Menu, which allows you to quickly access a wealth of information about your previous rolls. The Log (pictured below, left) displays a visual summary of all saved dice rolls, along with the date and time you rolled them. The Stats screen (pictured below, right) shows a wide variety of statistics for the current session, including average pool size, challenge level, success and failure rates, and other helpful information. Additionally, the Options button allows you to customize some of the WFRP Toolkit’s features to your individual preferences.

With the WFRP Toolkit on your iPhone or iPod Touch you can have the convenience of a full set of WFRP dice at your fingertips. Its intuitive design ensures a seamless fit into your WFRP sessions, and the statistical data it offers will aid you in your Old World adventures. Perhaps best of all, however, is its visually stunning interface, which delivers the same high level of quality Fantasy Flight Games has become known for. The perfect blend of form and function, the WFRP Toolkit is an indispensable weapon for any hero hoping to survive the grim peril of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

game that sets unlikely heroes on the road to perilous adventure, in the grim setting of Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy world. Players will venture into the dark corners of the Empire, guided by luck and Fate, and challenge the threats that others cannot or will not face.